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Navy NEC · Aviation

W16A Air Intercept Controller

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

An Air Intercept Controller controls strike fighter aircraft during air to air engagements. The controller directs those aircraft in the successful prosecution of the engagements.

Minimum clearance: TS/SCI

Core Skills

  • Strike-fighter control in air-to-air engagements

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Air Traffic Controllers

Controlling strike-fighter aircraft during air-to-air engagements provides aircraft-direction experience relevant to civilian traffic control.

How to prepare: Have your existing education, work history, controller certifications and documented live-traffic duties assessed against the applicable hiring route before choosing training. FAA entry-level applicants must be under 31 and have one year of progressively responsible work, a bachelor's degree, or combined post-secondary education and work totaling one year; the supplied experienced-controller notice sets an original-appointment age limit of 35 and requires 52 consecutive weeks of full-time active traffic separation after certification or facility rating within five years of application at a qualifying FAA, DOD, National Guard or FAA-contract tower facility, with no educational substitute and no credit for pre-certification military training.

What the civilian work involves
  • Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
  • Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.

Notes & Sources

  • The verified W16A duty statement does not establish post-certification live-traffic separation experience for the FAA experienced-controller route.
  • FAA entry-level selection also requires U.S. citizenship, medical and security screening, English communication ability and pre-employment testing, followed by Academy and facility training.
  • The supplied experienced-controller notice is a resume repository, not a guaranteed opening; it requires nationwide placement willingness, a physical examination, drug testing and Secret clearance, with training determined by prior qualifications.
  • FAA appointment age limits are not universal limits for non-FAA employment. Civilian controller work requires the applicable certification or qualification and supervision.
Evidence for this guidance (5 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC W16A

    [1] NEC entry "W16A - Air Intercept Controller"; cached text line 16110; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Strike-fighter control in air-to-air engagements, Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  2. O*NET: Air Traffic Controllers

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Air Traffic Controllers

    [3] How to Become an Air Traffic Controller; retrieved 23 September 2026

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  4. FAA: Air Traffic Controller Qualifications

    [4] Minimum qualifications and training requirements; official page updated 2025-02-27, checked 2026-09-24. Current entry-level threshold is one year, not the older three-year wording.

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  5. FAA 2026 experienced Air Traffic Control Specialist direct-hire notice

    [5] FAA-FAA-26-PUB NOT-96466: Duties, Conditions of employment, Qualifications, Education. Checked 2026-09-24; a resume repository, not a guarantee of an opening or appointment.

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

Defense contractor jobs for W16A

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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